Telling Time

Today, we talked about telling time and the differences between A.M. and P.M.  I went a slightly different route than I have in the past few months and used an already written lesson plan by the brilliant Erika Cravath (for more information on her thesis project and wonderful work, see the Resources tab.)  It was a little tricky using someone else’s lesson plan because I wasn’t as familiar with it, but I have used her lesson plans before and they are always amazing.  

The students did a great job right from the very start of distinguishing growing, expanding movements and shrinking, collapsing movements and connecting them with A.M. and P.M. times respectively.  Things got a little pantomimic when I asked for shapes that represented things you do in the A.M. or in the P.M., but I knew they would.  With an older class I would have gone on to talk about abstraction and really require more creative representations, but I think they did well enough with what I asked. 

The amazing thing about today was how well behaved they were.  They came in, we began the brain dance and they were so quiet and concentrated . . . it was beautiful.  I talked to Mrs. Findlay about it afterwards and she said they had quite the discussion prior to coming in about how to act in dance class – it is so nice to have her fully involved and supportive.  She is going to do very well when she begins teaching these classes herself.

Today during the create/perform section, I performed a dance with one of the groups.  I think maybe this would be a good thing to keep doing so they can see an example of what I want to see and how to really use the elements of dance to make an interesting piece.  A few students are really beginning to explore the movement during their little performances, which is nice to see.  I’ll keep reinforcing the exciting use of dance elements to create aesthetic dances.

Favorite Moments:

•  When I performed my dance and asked them what interesting things they saw in the group, one boy raised his hand and said, “I don’t know, I was only watching you.  But I saw levels.”  It was so sweet.
•  The class got really excited about figuring out what time I was representing with my arms as a clock.  Because it was a very different medium, it was tricky, but they were so excited when they figured out 3:45.

Diseases

I'm really starting to see some progress in students' understanding of basic dance elements.  The cross-curricular elements are never a problem - they seem to grasp those easily and are able to apply them to the activities and explorations we do during class.  We used Positive and Negative Space, Shapes, and Spatial Relationships today to explore the differences between infectious and non-infectious diseases.  They are really exhibiting some amazing and creative shapes!  That was exciting to see.

There was a high school intern with the class today which turned out to be really distracting.  I kept having to pull back attention from entire groups of students who were gathered around her, talking to her or playing with her necklace or other interactions that were taking them away from the class.  It made me realize the importance of maintaining the somewhat tricky balance between being an authority figure and kind and understanding figure.  Sometimes, teachers just want to be their students' "friend."  While this can be fun for the students, I think it ends up hindering them in the long run.  In that position, a teacher can't push for progression as much, can't discipline or manage when they need to and can't be a trusted mentor.  It was frustrating for me as a teacher to fight for their attention, but at the same time feel like I couldn't do much to reduce the distractions.  I just had to deal with it and move on.  It was definitely an interesting situation.  On the other hand, the intern did help me with the class by dancing and helping her group really create a nice piece.  It was the most "dancing movement" I've seen in their creative pieces next.  It made me think on how I approach the Create/Perform sections of my lessons.  Maybe, if I demonstrate what a dance I would create could look like, they would understand better when I ask them to dance in the middle of their dances, rather than just make a beginning shape, move a little bit, then find an ending shape.  It might help them see how to make their dances more substantial and meaty.  

Mrs. Findlay was a valuable help today; she answered questions at the end about what she was seeing in the performances and why it made them interesting.  Her encouragement and feedback really validates the experience for the students.  Mrs. Findlay is going to begin teaching sections of the lessons so that once I finish this ArtsBridge program, she'll be ready to teach her own creative dance classes!  I'm excited to see her in action. :)          

Favorite Moments:

• There is a new girl in the class who has some special needs.  Today was her first dance class with me.  While she seemed a little lost at times during the lesson and was sometimes reluctant to participate, she had a wonderful partner who kept encouraging her.  I was so proud of the student she was working with for being patient and helping her.  At the end of class, this little girl asked, "Can we do it again?!"  Don't worry, I'm coming back next week!
• We discovered today that it is possible to work together and create shapes and movement without necessarily touching each other (this was in connection to non-infectious diseases.  We can still work together and have fun together without being worried about catching a non-communicable disease.)  At the end of class, I asked the students to talk about other places in the world that we see shapes that connect without touching or things working together by sharing negative space.  A little boy was literally so excited about his answer that he was bouncing up and down and whispering, "this is a good one!"  His answer?  A flock of birds flying and moving together in the air, making shapes without touching each other.  Holla!  They totally got it. :)

Communication

I love this class!  I love those students and I am loving this experience!

Okay, I’m really hitting my stride now.  I was starting to think that every class would be okay, but I that maybe I would still leave thinking I could have done better or that the students could have understood better the concepts.  But today was one of those days that is just a step beyond.  It was amazing!  We went back into cross-curricular connections today, linking energy qualities with forms of communication.  Smoke signals with sustained energy, letters with swing energy (see lesson plan if you’re confused), Morse code with percussive energy, phones with vibratory energy, and the internet with explosive energy. 

While the words were really big and kind of tricky to remember for the students, they knew exactly which one they were talking about and were able to recognize it when they saw it, demonstrate with their body which one they were talking about and say most of the word.  (But come on, vibratory? What kind of word is that?  We used “shaking” sometimes instead.)  I think they had it. :)  

We also did connecting shapes today.  Wow.  It was so fulfilling to see them really grasp the concept.  They have come so far!!!  I remember the first few weeks, I would say shape and they would just stand there and look at me - a few brave souls would attempt to make a triangle or a square, my first clue that I may have jumped a little too far right off the top.  Well, after talking about body shapes last week and moving into relationships this week, there have been huge changes!  We talked about how "connecting" doesn't have to mean "touching."  We talked about sharing self-space to make one interesting shape together, using the negative space around each body to connect the two shapes.  I'll post pictures.  I was amazed and very impressed by the shapes I saw coming together.  It thrilled me!  They're really beginning to explore creatively.  There were some really beautiful moments today.  We'll keep building from here! 

Favorite Moments:

• A girl whispered "This is fun!" while we were exploring how we would move like a phone ring to the actual sounds of a phone ringing.  They really enjoyed that one. Vibratory may be hard to say, but it's definitely fun to do!
• When I ask the question, "Where else in our world do we see explosive energy?"  I got some answers like "a volcano!" (Great answer.  Volcanoes are explosive.)  Then a girl raised her hand and said, "War."  I was really taken aback.  It was one of those moments when you get slammed by the realization that they kind of know a lot more than you do.  It was so sweet, and yet very deep.  It was a good moment as a teacher.
•  A boy who was really reluctant to join today was getting very involved by the end of the lesson.  But he became very shy again when he was in the first group to perform, so I switched him and his partner to the second group.  After seeing the first group perform he jumped right up and did his whole dance.  I hope that by giving him the opportunity to wait and watch he kept the excitement and joy rather than feeling pressured and scared.
• Last, but certainly not least . . . the class kept begging me not to go.  "Miss Alley, will you come back tomorrow?" they asked, several times.  I was very sad to say that I couldn't come until next week, but it pleased me that they want me back! YAY!

Dance Elements

Course Correct!

After talking with some wonderfully supportive and knowledgeable advisors – thank you Marilyn Berrett and Kathleen Sheffield! – I went with my gut and took a significant step back.  I’ve been having this growing idea the past few weeks that I’ve been sequencing my curriculum plan in a less than efficient way.  I discussed my concerns and frustrations with myself with my mentors and felt good about going back to square one.  So today, our lesson was basically a crash course in creative dance.  I should have done this at the very beginning, but better slightly late than never! 

The class was SO successful today!  I truly enjoyed it.  Management has become better and better as the class has gotten to know me, tested me, and now are beginning to respect me without encouragement from someone else.  So I worry less about keeping them in control and now have more freedom to truly see them and take them to new levels. 

We covered Space, Shape, Size, Levels, and Energy today.  (I figured that I had already addressed pathways and Time elements in previous lessons, and we begin every class with the Brain Dance now, which covers the Patterns of Total Body Connectivity and Body elements.)  The class really grasped the concepts today and I saw more creativity than I have previously.  I guess it’s true that having some limitations or guidelines really does make you more free.  

I feel much better about where I’m going now.  I feel like I’ve taken some time to allow them to build a foundation that will enable them to understand me and what I expect.  They have a better idea about what creative movement can be built on and will be able to explore further in the future.

I also tried a lesson plan reminder trick.  I made a large font, bulleted list of the main activities and points I would hit throughout the class (it was a very wide-spread lesson) so I wouldn't be so glued to the detailed, full paragraph-ed lesson plan.  I put  my list by the board and I could glance at it every time I walked by.  Miraculous!  It totally worked.  I was able to keep myself on track, fill in the gaps from the prompts, and still be present and aware for the class.  New favorite aid, right there.  That's definitely happening again next week. :)

Mrs. Findlay and I are going to begin moving towards our culminating project.  We’ve decided on an Arts Gallery type showcase.  There is another ArtsBridge scholar at the school teaching Visual Arts.  We think it will be a really fun experience to have the two classes show what they’ve learned throughout the semester.  Mrs. Shipp’s class can show their art projects and Mrs. Findlay’s class can showcase a dance.  I’m excited to move forward and feel much less lost!

Favorite Moments:  

•  Smoothland and Sharpland was definitely a favorite with the students.  It made me happy to watch their excitement.
• Talking about where else in the world we see far reach and near reach kinds of objects - there were some great responses.  One boy raised his hand and for small-reach said, "Midgets! I mean . . . minions!"  Wow, I really had to choke back a laugh.  We clarified that he meant the little yellow guys from "Despicable Me," then talked about why they were small-reach in their shapes and movement.  But he was so excited when he blurted out the first name he could remember.  It was a somewhat shocking and then humorous moment.

Fractions

I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this. :)  Now I want to go back and start over from the very beginning with a better scope and sequence.  But you definitely learn best while doing, right?  I'm learning tons!

Today was so great!  The class was so invested!  They worked hard and were very respectful.  We had the gym for the first half hour and that was a nice space to move in.  There was room to move and a lot less distractions like extra desks and shelves.  It's nice to have the extra classroom to work in, but I think I prefer the gym for a movement class.  I think it helped us focus a lot better.

The concept was tricky today - tying together fractions from math and time elements from the B.E.S.T. model.  Because I was trying a different approach in really concentrating on dance elements, I feel that I succeeded in my objective more than the past few lessons.  It seemed to me that the students got confused about the fraction element, and I'm not sure they entirely grasped it, but they really understood the Time elements I was having them explore.

I feel much better about having established some solid dance curriculum.  I used Time because I could relate it to fractions; something I would really like to go into more in depth with an older class - there's a lot of potential in those connections.  Next week, I would like to relate the cross-curricular factors with either Body or Space and really establish dance movement basics in order to give them more exposure and understanding as well as more vocabulary for me to work with.

The behavior of the class today was just stellar.  We were able to do a lot because they were so well-behaved and engaged the whole time.  I'm really beginning to wish I had more time with them - I would like to have the time to take five or six full lessons on the elements of creative dance alone, then be able to move into more cross-curricular subjects.  This is probably something I should have done from the beginning, but I didn't realize how important that would be.  I have now learned that lesson quite well.  I was subconsciously expecting them to have some sort of foundation that they didn't have (and really had no reason to already have) and it threw me for a loop when they didn't.  So I just had to discover it for myself. :)  This week, I plan on taking a look at the rest of my lesson plans to see what should be shifted around in order to give place for some dance-element-only lessons.  We'll see how that works!

Favorite Moments of the Day:

1. Seeing the class invest from the beginning.  Starting the class without me talking really helped.  I turned on the music and we began the Brain Dance right away.  It helped them focus and it was rewarding to see!
2. The cute boys who kept offering to help me carry stuff because I always tend to run around with a billion items spilling out of my arms.  They were so excited to help me carry my materials down the hall or help me clean up when we were done.  They are truly wonderful little people. :)